New here? Start with , then and . All three stay in the menu (☰).
Shot types
Tap one to jump to its card. The switch in the top bar filters by subject or by conditions.
Places
Nature & wildlife
Food & details
People
People and portraits
Street portraits, traders, travel companions
- f/4
- 16–80mm at 80mm
Focus on The nearest eye. Face and eye detection does this for you when it’s on.
Frame Leave space in the direction they’re looking, shoot at their eye level, and watch for poles growing out of heads.
- → on, → C, and hold to track.
Afterwards: → off, and → S.
- 16–80mm at 50–80mm
- Braced
- f/4
Focus on The nearer eye, with face detection on. Autofocus needs some light on the face.
Frame Turn them towards the light: a window, a lamp, a lit shopfront. Side light flatters most; light straight overhead leaves dark eye sockets.
- → on, then half-press on the face.
- AUTO2 holds 1/60s and lets ISO climb as far as 12800: a little grain beats a blurred face.
- Ask them to hold still for a moment and take three with → CL; one will be sharp.
- Warm bulbs: → White Priority keeps skin natural; Ambience Priority keeps the glow.
Afterwards: → off, → S, and reselect your bank with if you changed the white balance.
Street candids
Markets, crowds, daily life
- 16–80mm at 23–35mm
- f/8
Focus on A spot 2–4 metres away where people will pass.
Frame Find the background or the light first, then wait for the right person to walk into it. Camera at chest height, not hidden, looks natural.
- → M and once on that spot. At 23mm and f/8, everything from about 1.5 metres to the background is sharp enough, so you can shoot the moment without refocusing.
- → Electronic for silence in daylight. Back to your usual EF+ME under LED light or with fast movement.
- → CL for two or three frames when something’s happening.
Afterwards: → E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic, → S, → S.
Moving people, kids and pets
Playgrounds, beaches, dogs, family on the move
- 16–80mm at 50–80mm
- f/4
Focus on The eyes; for pets, a small zone on the head.
Frame Get down to their level, leave space in the direction they’re moving, and shoot as they come towards you.
- → on for people; → off for pets, with AF mode → Zone.
- → C and keep the half-press held as they move. → Set 3 suits sudden starts and stops.
- → CL or CH, and shoot short bursts through the moment.
- AUTO3 holds 1/500s, which freezes running. Indoors that pushes ISO up; open window light helps more than a slower shutter.
Afterwards: → off, → S, → S, AF mode → single point, and → Set 1 if you changed it.
Group shots and self-timer
Travel companions, family, and you in the picture
- 16–80mm at 24–35mm
- Tripod or rested
- f/8
Focus on Everyone’s faces.
Frame Camera at eye level, a little room around everyone, and nobody at the very edge where 16mm stretches faces.
- → on. f/8 keeps two rows sharp at 24–35mm.
- Self-timer: → 10s.
- Sun behind them with → +⅔, or everyone in open shade; never squinting into the sun.
Afterwards: → off, → off, → 0.
- 16–80mm at 24–35mm
- Tripod or rested
- f/5.6
Focus on Everyone’s faces.
Frame Everyone facing the main light, the window or the brightest lamps, rather than with it behind them.
- → on. f/5.6 keeps a table of faces sharp at 24–35mm while letting in more light.
- Self-timer: → 10s, with the camera on the tripod, a table or a shelf.
- AUTO2 holds 1/60s: ask everyone to hold still, and take several.
- Warm light: → White Priority for natural skin.
Afterwards: → off, → off, and reselect your bank with if you changed the white balance.
Places
Everyday daylight
Streets, sights, walking around
- f/5.6
- 16–80mm
- CPL for skies
Focus on The main subject’s nearest important edge: a face, a sign, a doorway. Move the box to it rather than leaving it in the middle.
Frame Put the subject on a grid line, not dead centre, and check the edges for clutter before you press.
- With the CPL on, turn it until the sky deepens; fitting it alone does little.
- → off.
City and architecture by day
Buildings, skylines, streets and squares
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- CPL for glass, sky
- f/8
Focus on The main building’s face, or a third of the way into a wide scene.
Frame Keep the camera level so verticals stay upright. Step back and zoom rather than tilting up at 16mm. Look for symmetry and leading lines, and include a person for scale.
- shows the level.
- 16mm close up exaggerates; 35–80mm from further back looks natural.
Golden hour and backlight
Sunrise, sunset, silhouettes, backlit people
- 16–80mm
- Tripod optional
- f/8
- EV −⅔
Focus on The subject, not the sun. For a silhouette, the edge of the figure against the sky.
Frame Keep the sun just out of frame or half-hidden behind something. Then turn round: the warm light on the scene behind you is often the better picture.
- Silhouette: expose for the sky with → −1 to −2, or → Spot on the bright sky.
- Backlit face: → +1, or Spot on the face with face detection off, since metering is ignored while it’s on. C1 suits skin tones better.
- C4’s Daylight white balance keeps the warmth that Auto would try to correct.
- Flare near the sun: keep the hood on and shade the lens with your hand. Don’t leave the lens pointed at the sun for long, especially at 300mm.
- As the light fades, or when sky and foreground are too far apart: on the tripod, bracket with → BKT and merge later.
- No tripod? → HDR at 200–400% and brace; it works best when nothing in the scene is moving.
Afterwards: → 0, → Multi, the → S after BKT or HDR, and → on after the tripod.
Harsh midday sun
Bright noon light and hard shadows
- 16–80mm
- CPL for skies
- f/8
- EV −⅓
Focus on Your subject as usual; faces need the most care in hard light.
Frame Use shadows as shapes, or put people in open shade. Shoot at 90° to the sun for the deepest blue sky.
- C2 Street’s DR200 holds bright highlights. For very harsh contrast, C5 Mono (DR400) turns it into graphic black and white.
- White walls blinking? → −⅔.
- Deep shade right beside bright sun? → HDR at 200–400%. Daylight speeds make it easy handheld; anything moving may ghost.
Afterwards: → 0, and the → S if you used HDR.
Overcast, rain and fog
Grey days, drizzle, mist
- 16–80mm
- f/5.6
- EV +⅓
Focus on A contrasty edge. Autofocus struggles in fog and flat light.
Frame Keep the grey sky to a sliver or leave it out. Layers fading into mist, reflections and umbrellas make the picture.
- Fog and bright overcast make the camera turn white into grey: → +⅓ or +⅔, and +1 in thick fog.
- Flat light suits C5 Mono, or C2’s Classic Chrome.
Afterwards: → 0.
Panorama
Wide vistas, skylines, long walls
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- Tripod optional
- f/8
Focus on Something at mid-distance: focus and exposure are fixed at the start of the sweep.
Frame Keep the horizon level through the whole sweep and avoid people walking through.
- → Panorama. Choose the size and direction with the selector, press the shutter once, and sweep smoothly in the arrow’s direction.
- Stay at 35mm or wider; the mode needs it.
- Pivot around the lens rather than your body, at an even pace.
- Panorama saves a JPEG only. For RAW quality, shoot overlapping frames in M instead and stitch them later.
- On a tripod: level it first and pan the head smoothly for a cleaner stitch.
Afterwards: → S, and → on if you used the tripod.
From a moving vehicle
Trains, rafts, boats
- 16–80mm
- CPL if needed
- 1/1000s on the train
- 1/500s on the raft
Focus on The middle distance. The foreground blurs at any shutter speed.
Frame Aim a little ahead of the window, where the scene blurs less, and keep the horizon level.
- stays on E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic. Never Electronic here: it bends straight lines.
- Press the lens hood against the window. Can’t reach it? Hood off, CPL on, and shoot at an angle through the glass.
Afterwards: → A.
Dim interiors
Temples, churches, palace halls
- f/4
- 16–80mm at 16–30mm
- CPL off
- Braced
- EV −⅔
Focus on A high-contrast edge such as a carved beam or a lantern rim. Autofocus struggles on dark, flat surfaces.
Frame Use a doorway to frame the bright courtyard beyond. Keep the camera level so pillars stay upright.
- → Electronic for silence, unless the lighting is LED.
- Bright doorway or window? → HDR at 200–400%, brace, and hold still through all three shots. If it ghosts or blurs, expose for the doorway instead.
Afterwards: → E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic, → 0, and the → S if you used HDR.
- 16–80mm at 16–30mm
- Tripod
- f/8
- EV −⅔
Focus on A high-contrast edge such as a carved beam or a lantern rim.
Frame Use a doorway to frame the bright courtyard beyond. Keep the camera level so pillars stay upright.
- A mode times the exposure itself, up to 30s.
- Bright doorway? → BKT for an exposure bracket to merge later, or HDR to merge in camera.
- Need silence? → Electronic works here too.
Afterwards: → on, → off, → S, → A, → 0, and → E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic if you changed it.
Distant subjects, low light
Terracotta Warriors, exhibits behind barriers, galleries seen from a balcony
- f/5.6
- 70–300mm
- Braced
Focus on The nearest eye or face, with the focus box at its smallest.
Frame Fill the frame with two or three faces rather than the whole hall, and keep the barrier out of the bottom edge.
- Subjects are still, so set AUTO3's minimum shutter to 1/125 first: Shooting Setting›ISO Auto Setting›AUTO3›Min. Shutter Speed.
- ISO 640 and up is fine. Don't underexpose to keep it low.
Afterwards: AUTO3’s slowest shutter → 1/500.
- 70–300mm
- Tripod
- f/5.6
Focus on The nearest eye or face, with the focus box at its smallest.
Frame Fill the frame with two or three faces rather than the whole hall.
- Still subjects let A mode go as slow as it needs; ISO 640 keeps noise down.
- At 300mm, let it settle for a moment after touching it.
Afterwards: → on, → off, → A.
Night streets
Night markets, neon, lantern-lit lanes
- f/4
- 16–80mm at 16–50mm
- EV −1
Focus on Something lit: a sign, a lantern, a lit face. Autofocus hunts in darkness.
Frame Find a pool of light and wait for someone to walk into it: pre-focus on the spot with the lever on M and AF-ON. Backlit steam or smoke makes the picture.
- stays on E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic. Never Electronic here: LED signs band on it.
- → 3200K if auto white balance fights you.
- 1/60s is the floor for people walking.
- Neon and bare lamps always blink; ignore them. Pull further minus only if large areas — the sky, a lit wall — blink.
Afterwards: → 0; reselecting your next bank undoes the 3200K.
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- Tripod
- f/8
- EV −⅔
Focus on Something lit and still: a stall, a sign.
Frame Frame a busy lane so the movement crosses the picture.
- A mode times it. At 1 to 10s, walkers and traffic become streaks while lit stalls stay sharp.
Afterwards: → on, → off, → A, → 0.
Blue hour cityscape
The Bund, city skylines, harbours
- f/8
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- Tripod
- 2–15s
Focus on A bright building edge a third of the way into the scene.
Frame Keep the horizon level, include reflections in the water, and give the sky about a third of the frame.
- Press once on that edge and check it with the . With the lever on M, half-pressing to re-meter won’t refocus. Reposition by the tripod head, not the lens, or a brush of the zooms and shifts focus.
- Past 1s: → T, and turn the until the exposure scale reads 0, or −⅓ to protect the lights. Look for the " mark on the bottom bar: 8" is 8 seconds; a plain 8 is 1/8s. Bare streetlights always blink and can be ignored; shorten only if large areas — the sky, a lit wall — blink. Re-meter every few minutes: roughly 1–2s just after sunset, 5–15s by the end.
- With Long Exposure NR on, the camera makes a matching dark frame after each shot, so it stays busy for about as long again: controls locked, a red dot flashing by the speed. It hasn't hung, and you can move it.
- Simpler: → A instead. The camera times each shot itself, up to 30s, and the adjusts it.
- Best window: 20–35 minutes after sunset.
Afterwards: → on, → off, → S, and → A.
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- Rested
- f/4
- EV −⅔
Focus on A bright building edge a third of the way in.
Frame Keep the horizon level, include reflections in the water, and give the sky about a third of the frame.
- Rested on a railing or wall: → 800 and → 2s; A mode picks the time, up to about 1/2s at 16mm.
- Nothing to rest on: → A, so AUTO2 holds 1/60s and raises ISO. → CL; take three and keep the sharpest.
Afterwards: → off, → S, → A, → 0.
Nature & wildlife
Distant landscape
Great Wall, karst hills, Sugar Loaf
- f/8
- 70–300mm at 100–200mm
- CPL
Focus on A point about a third of the way into the scene, so near and far both stay sharp.
Frame Stack two or three layers of hill. Add a person or a building for scale. Horizon low for a big sky, high for layered hills.
- CPL: rotate until the haze lifts.
- to check the level.
- 70–300mm at 100–200mm
- CPL
- Tripod
- f/8–f/11
Focus on A point about a third of the way into the scene.
Frame Stack two or three layers of hill. Horizon low for a big sky, high for layered hills.
- For a very wide view, the ’s Panorama setting sweeps and stitches in camera.
Afterwards: → on, → off, → S, → A.
Moving water, long exposure
Waterfalls, rivers, sea over rocks
- f/11
- 16–80mm
- ND64
- Tripod
Focus on A still rock or edge beside the water, before the ND goes on. The lever on M then holds it.
Frame Anchor the picture with foreground rocks and let the water lead into the frame. Keep bright sky out if it clips.
- Compose and focus, → M. Then reposition by the tripod head, not the lens, or a brush of the zooms and shifts focus.
- Without the ND, → A, half-press, and read the shutter speed in the bottom bar, for example 1/60: that’s the base. Fit the ND64, find the base on the left of the table, and read the new time across; add the CPL there if it’s still too short.
- Over 1s: → T, and the sets the time. On the bottom bar, look for the " mark: 8" is 8 seconds; a plain 8 is 1/8s. Under 1s: → that speed.
- With Long Exposure NR on, the camera makes a matching dark frame after each shot, so it stays busy for about as long again: controls locked, a red dot flashing by the speed. It hasn't hung, and you can move it.
Afterwards: ND off, → S, → on, → off, and → A.
- 16–80mm at 16–24mm
- ND8 in sun
- Rested
- 1/4–1/2s
Focus on A still rock at the water’s edge.
Frame Anchor the picture with foreground rocks and let the water lead into the frame.
- The wide end steadies best: 1/4 to 1/2s is realistic at 16mm when rested.
- Bright day: the ND8 gets you down to that.
- Smoother water with the camera firmly rested: Shooting Setting›Multi Exposure → On, Average, then up to nine frames without moving it.
Afterwards: ND off, → off, and → A, and Multi Exposure off if you used it.
Wildlife, still or slow-moving
Safari, deer in a park, seals, perched birds
- 70–300mm at 300mm
- Rested
- f/5.6
Focus on The nearest eye. Face detection is for people, so put a small single-point box on the eye yourself.
Frame Get down to the animal’s eye level, leave space in front of where it’s facing, and don’t clip ears, tails or feet. A clean background beats a closer shot.
- Wide open at 300mm blurs the background and keeps the shutter quick; AUTO3 holds 1/500s.
- Slow walker? → C and keep the half-press held to track.
- Bright sky behind: → +⅔ so it isn’t a silhouette. Dark animal on dark ground: −⅔.
- Skittish animal: → Electronic for silence is fine outdoors in daylight.
- → CL and take short bursts to beat blinks and head turns.
Afterwards: → S, → E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic if changed, → 0, → S.
Birds in flight
Gulls, raptors, herons, anything crossing the sky
- 70–300mm at 200–300mm
- 1/2000s
- f/5.6
- EV +⅔ to +1
Focus on The bird itself, picked up early inside the zone.
Frame Leave space ahead of the bird and keep the wing tips in. A clean sky or a dark backdrop makes it pop.
- Manual with Auto ISO: → 2000, → f/5.6, → A. The camera sets ISO, and → +⅔ to +1 keeps a bird against the sky from going black.
- Focus: → C, AF mode → Zone at its largest (7×7), and → Set 4 for birds against open sky, or your Set 6 against trees or water.
- → CH (15 fps with the mechanical shutter; ) and Set Up›Power Management›Performance → Boost for quicker tracking. stays on your usual EF+ME, not ES: electronic bends wings.
Afterwards: → S, AF mode → single point, → S, and → A, Performance → Normal, → Set 1 if changed, → 0.
Through glass, aquariums and zoos
Aquarium tanks, zoo enclosures, glass screens
- 16–80mm
- CPL if needed
- 1/125s
Focus on The fish’s eye, with a small focus box so it ignores smudges on the glass.
Frame Wait for one fish to cross clean water rather than a crowd.
- Hood flat against the glass, angled slightly, to kill reflections. Dark clothing helps.
- Can’t reach the glass? Hood off, CPL on, and shoot at an angle across the glass; it barely works straight on.
- S mode at 1/125s freezes fish; the camera opens up and raises ISO.
- Blue-green water fools white balance: measure a Custom value from something white, or correct it in RAW.
Afterwards: → A, → S.
- 70–300mm at 200–300mm
- f/5.6
Focus on The eye.
Frame Leave out enclosure edges and concrete; tight framing looks wild.
- Wire mesh: put the lens right up to it and zoom to 300mm wide open, and the mesh blurs away.
- If autofocus grabs the mesh, half-press and keep holding, then turn the to focus beyond it.
- Behind glass instead? Hood on the glass, or the CPL at an angle if you can’t reach it.
Moon and stars
The moon, and starry skies away from city lights
- 70–300mm at 300mm
- Tripod
- f/8
- 1/250s
Focus on The moon’s edge, magnified.
Frame Any clear night works, but a rising moon at dusk, low over a skyline or landscape, beats the moon on its own.
- Ignore the meter: the black sky makes it hugely overexpose the moon. Start at f/8, 1/250s, ISO 160 and check the blinking highlights.
- → M, then press once on the moon, then check it magnified with the and nudge the . Reposition by the tripod head, not the lens: a brush of the ring zooms and shifts focus, so press the to cancel and recheck.
- At 300mm the moon is small in the frame; crop later.
Afterwards: → on, → off, → S, and → A.
- 16–80mm at 16mm
- Tripod
- f/4
- 20s
Focus on A bright star or a distant light, magnified.
Frame Include a foreground silhouette: a tree, a ridge, a building.
- → T, → 20s. On the bottom bar, 20" is 20 seconds; a plain number is a fraction. Any longer and stars start to trail at 16mm.
- Focus: autofocus can’t see stars. → M, then magnify a bright star with the and turn the until it’s smallest. Reposition by the tripod head, not the lens: a brush of the ring zooms and shifts focus. If red peaking clutters the sky, hold the for MF Assist → Standard while composing.
- → 6400 if the sky is too dark.
- Shooting a run of frames for a trail or to stack? Image Quality Setting›Long Exposure NR → OFF first, so there’s no dark-frame gap between frames. A single frame keeps it on for a cleaner shot.
Afterwards: → on, → off, → S, and → A, and Long Exposure NR → on if you turned it off.
Food & details
Food
Restaurants, cooking classes, market stalls
- f/4
- 16–80mm at 40–80mm
- EV −⅓
Focus on The nearest edge of the dish.
Frame Flat plates from above at about 45mm; tall dishes low and close at 80mm. Hands or chopsticks add life; tidy the table edge. Window or side light works best.
- Warm restaurant light: → White Priority keeps plates white; Ambience Priority keeps the glow.
Afterwards: → 0, and reselect your bank with if you changed the white balance.
Close-up details
Flowers, insects, textures, small objects
- 70–300mm at 300mm
- Tripod optional
- f/8
Focus on The one point that matters: an insect’s eye, a flower’s centre.
Frame A plain background well behind the subject melts into colour.
- Closest focus is 83cm at every zoom setting. At 300mm that fills the frame with something about 7cm across.
- Depth of field is a few millimetres: f/8 to f/11, and keep the subject square to the camera.
- AUTO3 holds 1/500s against shake at 300mm.
- Fine-tune focus: half-press and keep holding, then turn the ; peaking and zoom appear.
- Wind: wait for a lull and take a short burst with → CL.
- Still subject on the tripod: f/11 with a slower shutter.
Afterwards: → S, and → on if you used the tripod.
- 16–80mm at 80mm
- f/5.6
Focus on The nearest important detail.
Frame Fill the frame and keep the background simple.
- Closest focus is 35cm. At 80mm that fills the frame with something about 9cm across.
- Good for food, textures and objects on a table.
- Stabilisation copes with 1/60s at this distance.
Museum exhibits, up close
Display cases, sculptures, artefacts, galleries
- f/5.6
- 16–80mm at 30–80mm
- CPL if needed
Focus on The most important detail nearest you: a face on a sculpture, the front rim of a bowl.
Frame Shoot flat objects straight on so they don’t distort. Leave a little space round the object and keep neighbouring labels out.
- Glass case? Put the lens hood against the glass at a slight angle to kill reflections.
- Can’t reach the glass? Hood off, CPL on, and shoot at an angle across the glass; it barely works straight on.
- Spotlit object on a dark background: → −⅔ or −1, or → Spot on the object.
- f/5.6 keeps a whole object sharp this close. AUTO2 raises ISO rather than letting the shutter drop below 1/60.
Afterwards: → Multi, and → 0.
Events
Stage and performance
Jazz bars, concerts, theatre
- f/4
- 16–80mm at 50–80mm
Focus on The performer’s face, or hands on the instrument.
Frame Go tight on one musician, let the background go black, and wait for the expression.
- → Spot, and expose for the lit face. Keep face detection off, or the camera ignores the metering choice.
- C5 forces ISO 640 or higher. That's fine here.
Afterwards: → Multi, → S.
Outdoor night show
River light shows, festivals, open-air performances
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- Braced
- f/4
- EV −1
Focus on The stage distance: a lit group or boat.
Frame Take in the lit peaks behind and the reflections on the water. Keep the horizon level.
- → M and press once on it; it holds between moments.
- Before it starts, → EVF Only + Eye Sensor, so your screen doesn’t glow in the dark seating, and dim the viewfinder with if it dazzles.
- The dark surroundings make the camera overexpose the lights: start with → −1 and check .
- Coloured stage light: leave white balance on Auto and correct in RAW; no single tweak suits every scene.
- Elbows on your knees or the seat in front; bursts with → CL.
- stays on your usual EF+ME. Never ES under stage lighting: it bands.
Afterwards: → Eye Sensor, → 0 if changed, → 0, → S, → S.
- 70–300mm at 150–300mm
- 1/250s
- EV −1
Focus on The lead performer’s face or costume, with the focus box at its smallest.
Frame Go tight on one or two performers against the dark: lit costumes on black water.
- S mode at 1/250s keeps moving dancers sharp. The camera opens the aperture and raises ISO, up to 12800 on AUTO2.
- Still overexposing the lit figures? → Spot, with face detection off. With Interlock Spot AE on, it meters where your focus box sits.
- The lighting changes fast: hold a CL burst through each moment rather than single frames.
Afterwards: → Multi, → A, → S, → S, → 0.
Fireworks
New Year, festivals, celebrations over water or a skyline
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- Tripod
- f/11
- 2–6s
Focus on Distant lights, or the first burst.
Frame Leave space above for the bursts and include a skyline, bridge or water for scale and reflections. Stand upwind; smoke builds as the display goes on, so the first few minutes are the cleanest.
- → M and press once, then leave it. Nothing refocuses after that.
- Before it starts: Image Quality Setting›Long Exposure NR → OFF. Left on, the camera pauses after every shot, often for as long as the exposure, and you miss the next burst.
- → Daylight, so the colours come out as you saw them rather than being corrected.
- → T, → 4s as a start. On the bottom bar, 4" is 4 seconds, not 1/4s.
- Bursts blown to white? Close down to f/13 or shorten the time. Too faint? Open to f/8. Streetlights in the frame always blink; ignore them — it’s the bursts blinking that means clipping.
- More bursts in one frame: Shooting Setting›Multi Exposure → On, Bright, then several exposures without moving the camera.
Afterwards: Long Exposure NR → on, → on, reselect your bank with to undo the Daylight WB, and → A, → S, and Multi Exposure off if used.
- 16–80mm at 16–35mm
- Braced
- f/4
- 1/15s
Focus on Distant lights.
Frame Go wider than you think and crop later; handheld framing drifts.
- → M and press once, then leave it.
- Nothing to lean on: M at 1/15s, f/4, ISO 1600 gives short, crisp trails.
- Braced on a railing: → 400 and about 1s for longer trails.
- → Daylight. → CL and hold through each burst; keep the best frames.
Afterwards: reselect your bank with to undo the Daylight WB, → S, and → A, → S.
How focusing works on your camera
What the shutter button, and the do in each position of the . For AF modes, zones and face detection:
| Lever | How it focuses | Focus ring | Peaking and zoom |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Half-press, or press , and it focuses once. Keep holding to keep focus locked while you recompose. | Fine-tunes once focus has locked, while you keep holding (needs AF+MF on) | Appear while you turn the ring |
| C | Keeps refocusing for as long as you half-press or hold | Does nothing | No |
| M | You focus with the ring. Press for one quick autofocus, then fine-tune. The half-press never refocuses here, so it only meters | Always | Peaking always shows. The view zooms in when you turn the ring; toggles the zoom |
Everyday, in S
- Place the box: click the , tilt to move it.
- Half-press. The box turns green when focus locks.
- Still holding, recompose if you need to. To fine-tune, turn the : red peaking outlines what’s sharp and the view magnifies.
- Press fully to shoot. Let go and half-press again to refocus.
Tripod, night and long exposure, in M
- Press once to autofocus on the box.
- Check it: the red peaking should sit on your subject. Press the to magnify if in doubt, and nudge the .
- Leave it. Nothing refocuses until you press again, so half-pressing to re-meter, fitting an ND or waiting for the light won’t shift focus. The exposure scale updates live anyway, so just watch it.
Focus once, then shoot freely
- → M and press once on your spot.
- Shoot as often as you like. The half-press only meters in M, so focus stays put.
- Useful for waiting for someone to step into a pool of light, repeated frames of a still subject, or re-metering at dusk. Lever back to S when you move on.
This is why the camera keeps half-press focusing rather than back-button: the lever-M trick covers the one thing back-button does better.
Peaking style: hold for the MF assist options and pick Focus Peak Highlight → Red (High). The ring needs three settings, all in Set up the buttons once.
If something looks wrong
| Highlights blinking | one click towards minus (−⅓) and reshoot. In M, one click faster. shows the histogram to confirm. |
| Red lanterns or temple walls lose all detail | Reds clip first, and it barely shows on the rear screen. Watch the blinking highlights on red areas; if they blink, down ⅓ and reshoot. |
| Brightness jumps from frame to frame under fluorescent or LED light | → First Frame, with your usual EF+ME shutter type, not ES. |
| Not sure a shot worked | |
| Not sure what an icon means | Open the . |
| Stripes across the frame | You're on the electronic shutter. → E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic |
| Soft | Faster shutter, or you're past f/11 |
| Won't focus | Single point on a hard edge, or → M and press |
| Dark patch in the sky | CPL too wide. Zoom in a little. |
| Front dial does something odd | You pressed . Press again to cycle back. |
| Screen or viewfinder blank | , on the right-hand side of the viewfinder hump. Press until Eye Sensor returns. |
| Yellow plane icon at power-on | The LOCAL time zone is active. That's correct when you're away in another time zone. |
Set up the camera
Everything needed to go from a full reset to this sheet’s setup, menu by menu. Ticks stay until you clear them.
▲▶▼◀ are the four physical buttons around . ↑←→↓ are finger swipes across the rear screen, which the manual calls flicks. To wipe everything first: Set Up›User Setting›Reset›Initialize.
Firmware
- Turn the camera on while holding , with a card in, to see the version. 2.12 is the latest; update from Fujifilm’s site at home, never on the road.
Set Up›Button/Dial Setting›Function (Fn) Setting
Hold and the list of buttons appears, with a Bluetooth item at the top. Pick the control, then its new role. Five change from factory:
- → Select Custom Setting. Test: it lists C1 to C7, not drive modes.
- → Shutter Type. Test: it offers mechanical and electronic, not Boost and Normal.
- → ISO Auto Setting. Test: it lists AUTO1 to AUTO3, not film simulations.
- (T-Fn2) → IS Mode. Test: it offers IS options, not Sports Finder.
- (T-Fn3) → Self-Timer. Test: it offers 2s and 10s, not Large Indicators.
- Left at factory: opens white balance, toggles face detection, shows the level, magnifies, focuses and locks exposure.
Set Up›Button/Dial Setting
- Edit/Save Quick Menu (hold ) → the 16 slots in the . Test: press and the top-left slot shows the film simulation.
- Touch Screen Setting → Touch Function → ON. Test: shows the histogram.
- Touch Screen Setting → EVF Touch Screen Area Settings → full screen, so the swipes are easy with your eye at the viewfinder. If your nose or cheek ever triggers something, shrink the area. Double Tap Setting → OFF.
- Selector Button Setting → Fn Button. Test: opens metering instead of moving the focus point.
- Focus Lever Setting → On. Tilting moves the focus point straight away, and pressing the brings up the focus-point screen, where the changes the AF mode and box size. Test: tilt the and the focus box moves.
- Command Dial Setting (hold the ): Front Command Dial 1 → S.S. (Program Shift), so the front dial sets the shutter speed: it fine-tunes between the dial’s whole stops, sets the time on T, and shifts the program in P. Aperture only works with the lens ring on A, which this sheet never uses. Front Command Dial 2 and 3 → S.S. as well, so a stray press of the changes nothing; None would leave the dial dead instead. Rear Command Dial → ISO (it only takes over when the is on C).
- Shutter AF → AF-S: ON, AF-C: ON. Shutter AE → AF-S/MF: ON, AF-C: OFF. In S a half-press locks focus and exposure together, for focus and recompose. In C you hold the half-press while following something moving, so the exposure keeps updating as it passes from light into shade, and between burst frames. still locks it when you want.
Image Quality Setting
- Image Quality → FINE+RAW.
- Long Exposure NR → ON. Fireworks is the one card that turns it off.
- Save the five custom banks with Edit/Save Custom Setting, from the . Use Edit Custom Name so the list shows Daylight, Street, Night, Landscape and Mono.
AF/MF Setting
- AF Mode → All. Test: with the focus-point display up, turning the moves from single point to zone to wide.
- Face/Eye Detection Setting → Face Detection On, then Eye Auto. then toggles it.
- AF Illuminator → OFF, and Pre-AF → OFF.
- MF Assist → Focus Peak Highlight → Red (High) [hold ]. At night this outlines every edge and clutters the view; hold the for MF Assist and pick Standard while composing, then back to Focus Peak to focus. Test: in M, sharp edges glow red.
- Focus Check → ON. Turning the in M magnifies the view, which you want. But a brush of the ring while you grip the lens also zooms and, on M, shifts focus: reposition by the body or tripod head, not the lens, press the to cancel a stray zoom, and recheck focus before shooting. Test: in M, turning the magnifies the view.
- AF+MF → ON. Test: in S, half-press and keep holding, then turn the ; focus moves.
- Interlock Spot AE & Focus Area → ON. Test: with → Spot, moving the focus box from bright to dark changes the exposure.
- Release/Focus Priority → AF-S: Focus, AF-C: Release.
- Touch Screen Mode (the last item on its third page) → Off. Nothing here uses tap-to-focus, and on AF a stray tap during a swipe locks focus where you touched. The swipes keep working. Quicker: tap the touch icon on the rear screen until it shows Off. Only two pages? Press until the normal live view returns, then open the menu again.
- AF-C Custom Settings → Set 1, the factory setting.
Shooting Setting
- ISO Auto Setting → set AUTO1, AUTO2 and AUTO3 from the . Default sensitivity 160 on all three.
- Shutter Type → E-Front + Mechanical + Electronic.
- IS Mode → Continuous.
Set Up›User Setting
- Area Setting → your home time zone, with Daylight Savings on or off to match. For trips, Time Difference → Local → the destination.
- My Menu Setting → Add Items, then Rank Items into this order: ISO Auto Setting, Drive Setting, Long Exposure NR, Multi Exposure, Interval Timer Shooting, AF-C Custom Settings (to edit Set 6), Release/Focus Priority, Pre-Shot ES, Edit/Save Custom Setting. Format and Performance can’t be added; they stay in the Set Up menu.
Set Up›Sound Set-Up
- Shutter Volume → OFF and Operation Vol. → OFF. The mechanical shutter still clicks; only Electronic is silent.
Set Up›Screen Set-Up
- Preview Exp./WB in Manual Mode → Preview Exp./WB.
- Framing Guideline → Grid 9.
- Disp. Custom Setting: untick AF Distance Indicator, Flash and Touch Screen Mode, and Mic Level if it’s listed; tick everything else. Go through them all rather than assuming the factory list. ·
- Image Disp. → OFF, so a shot never sits on the screen blocking the live view. Judge exposure live with the histogram and the blinking highlights; review deliberately in Playback. On Continuous each frame stays up until a half-press, which felt like the camera had frozen.
Set Up›Power Management
- Performance → Normal. Auto Power Off → 1 min. Auto Power Off Temp. → Standard.
Set Up›Save Data Set-Up
- Card Slot Setting (stills) → Backup, so every frame is written to both cards. Frame No. → Continuous.
Set Up›Connection Setting
- Bluetooth/Smartphone Setting → Bluetooth ON/OFF → OFF. It saves battery, and the phone app resets the camera clock whenever it’s opened. Turn it on only to transfer pictures.